Food & Wine makes a move

It's no
secret that print publications are struggling in the digital
economy. Sometimes this means a magazine or newspaper will fold or
make major changes. In the case of Food & Wine
Magazine, we can be thankful it's the latter. The magazine
just announced that it was relocating from New York to Alabama.

Such a geographic shift may be puzzling, but the move makes
sense. Food & Wine's parent company, Time Inc.,
recently built a sprawling complex in Birmingham, Alabama. Food
& Wine joins other other publications owned by Time Inc..
including Cooking Light and Southern Living.

Lest you think the move means that the magazine won't have
sufficient resources, you can rest easy. The new home for the
publication boasts 28 test kitchens and 13 photography
bays and video studios. The digital arm of Food & Wine
will remain in Lower Manhattan, in the space built for the magazine
in 2015.

Legendary restaurant critic and food writer Ruth Reichl
said the move makes sense. Relocating to the Birmingham
complex will better position Food & Wine when it comes
to digital food publishing. She says that sites
like Food 52 and Eater "are just taking over that
space, and they're building audiences fast. If you're a legacy
magazine, you'd better figure out a way to do things that are more
original, and you need resources to do that."